R-rated movie at school upsets parents

Michael Miller

Parents of seventh-graders at Corona del Mar High are criticizing a

teacher for showing an R-rated film to his class on Wednesday.

Dan Granite, a seventh-grade history teacher, reportedly did not

show up to work on Thursday after students and parents protested his

screening of “The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc” the day

before. Granite showed the 1999 film, which the Motion Picture Assn.

of America classifies as “rated R for strong graphic battles, a rape

and some language,” apparently as part of a unit the class is

studying on Joan of Arc.

Jaime Castellanos, the assistant superintendent of secondary

education for the Newport-Mesa Unified School District, said only

that “the situation with the teacher has been addressed.” The school

office confirmed that Granite was back on Friday. Officials at Corona

del Mar High declined comment otherwise, and Granite did not return

calls seeking comment.

A number of parents decried the screening of “The Messenger” for

an audience of mostly 12- and 13-year-olds. Most of the complaints

centered on a fairly explicit scene involving the rape of a dead

woman.

“That is really inappropriate for a history class,” said Roger

Downing, whose daughter, Molly, is one of Granite’s students. “I

don’t know if the guy was trying to make a point, so I don’t want to

condemn him without talking to him. I’ve met this teacher, and he

seems like a pretty square shooter, so I’d like to talk to him before

he’s nailed to the wall. But that sure seemed inappropriate.

“Necrophilia can be talked about in school, but it’s not something

I would show to 12-, 13-year-old kids.”

More than one parent said the incident with Granite was not the

first time their students had seen adult-themed movies at Corona del

Mar Middle School. Several claimed that English teacher Chris Brude

had shown the Ben Stiller comedy “Zoolander,” which is rated PG-13

and has numerous drug references and a comic orgy scene, during

finals week in his seventh-grade class.

Ann Chatillon, whose daughter Jenna is in both Brude and Granite’s

classes, said that she complained to principal Brooke Booth after the

screening of “Zoolander,” but that little came of her remarks.

“She said she would follow up,” Chatillon said. “That was all she

said. We never heard anything.”

On Wednesday, Chatillon said, Jenna told her about the showing of

“The Messenger” while the two were driving home, prompting her to

make “a U-turn” and confront Booth and high school principal Bob Metz

in the office. The next day, she said, Metz left a message on her

answering machine saying that administrators had spoken to both Brude

and Granite.

Still, Chatillon believes the consequences should have been

stronger.

“It’s a sad day when I’m having to tell my daughter, ‘Don’t let

school get in the way of your education,’” Chatillon remarked.

“What’s heart-rending is that Jenna is very fond of these two

teachers. We’ve gone from PG to R, and what’s next? An X-rated

movie?”

Castellanos said Granite had not asked the district for permission

to show “The Messenger,” but that the district had no official rules

regarding screenings in class.

“If they show something political, they have to talk about both

sides,” the assistant superintendent said, “but nothing says you

can’t show an R-rated movie.”

He added that he had not heard about the “Zoolander” screening.

“I’m certainly apologetic,” Castellanos said. “That kind of thing

certainly should not have happened.”

* MICHAEL MILLER covers education and may be reached at (714)

966-4617 or by e-mail at michael.miller @latimes.com.